


True Teammates Know No Bounds

by KynastonViloet



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: "I feel we're gonna get along just fine as troublemakers", Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mischief, Romantic Comedy, Sexual Content, dumb teens, this was birthed the second ryuji called akira cute at the fancy resturant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2018-11-15 09:06:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11227767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KynastonViloet/pseuds/KynastonViloet
Summary: Ryuji Sakamoto is "that" kid, the one you should never talk to, much less befriend.If Akira cared about that title, he would've left a long time ago.It's a little odd- Ryuji has never had a chance to prove himself to be a good friend before.Or.. whatever his relationship with Akira is.





	1. Chapter 1 - Akira Help

[I can't find it.]

His fingers tapped as ticked as the rest of him was. His shoulder rested against a wall, relatively hidden from streams of people.

Said people, of which, really did little to help the situation at hand.

He watched the people with little actual interest, it was hard to he invested when he wasn't happy with anything at the moment.

A vibration from his hand brought him back to the situation, there was supposed to be a ding as well, but in this chamber the small noise was very much drowned out by chatter of people.

[It should be just past the shoe store, where you are.]

He scoffed, not even sure where "Where you are" was anymore.

[What's in front of you?]

[Uh makeup? Cosmetics? I think, smells gross.]

He could almost see Akira, in this moment, he'd either be A; rubbing his temple and sighing deeply, or B; Laughing quietly to himself at Ryuji's antics.

He confirmed it was the latter.

[How did you get back there? Good going.]

Ryuji gave an audiable groan, one that made a few passerbys speed up away from him.

This was so frustrating. The map made no sense, not the one on his phone, nor the ones taped around the walls.

[Dude, I have actually no idea. Can you like come find me or something?]

Even in a place without anything for sun, it was bright. Bright enough to sting the eyes.

He had to be sure his phone's screen brightness was as sharp as it could be, to even see it.

The place was very much alive, chatter passed through the air like a flood, from waves of people upon people.

At least at school he could pick out faces, and navigate without being able to see past the shoulders of the tallet man in front of him.

But here it was bizarre, and he really wasn't too happy about it. He did not go to any mall often, much less the Underground Mall.

He liked food, and more time than not, that was strictly where he would go, when his mother handed him a couple hundred yen and encouraged him to spend a night out.

This is for Akira, Ryuji reminded himself, and heaved a deep sigh.

Speaking of which.

[Alright I said I'm going to use the bathrooms. You're still in front of the cosmetics shop?]

Ryuji found himself smiling a little. The situation was pretty bad, but at least his teammate was willing to go out of his way to help out.

[Yeah.]

Ryuji decided to follow the text for a better sense of clarity.

[See you in a minute?]

Akira was hasty in his response, it was obvious he wasn't sneaking his texts anymore.

[Absolutely.]

And leaning his back against the wall, he awaited his friend.

 


	2. Chapter 2 - A Flowery Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Arc 1 in a day of fun

"You're a mess. I should've brought Morgana to work today, then I could've asked him to go and get you."

Ryuji didn't take to the words kindly, leaning over to shove his elbow into Akira's side, almost succeeding in making him waver in his tall posture

"I don't come down here often! If you didn't have your part time job all the way down here, then we wouldn't have to be in this, huh?"

As aggressive as he was, it was just playful, boys being boys.

"But I get money to buy you your new guns here. Would you rather I quit?"

Akira returned a shove, though with much less zeal, shoving his forearm into Ryuji's side and pushing.

Ryuji had a bashful expression, looking to be biting the inside of his cheek, his shoulder brushing past the taller male's.

"Well.. no, but.. When you work I don't want to come visit you like this."

"You'll never learn the place if you don't visit it frequently, Ryuji."

"I mean.." He argued, but nonetheless smiled, chuckling. "At least I get to see you in that little apron. It's ridiculous."

"Hey-y," Akira scoffed, to which Ryuji saw his mild offense, and the blonde laughed and gave another nudge.

He usually swayed some when he walked, today seemed a little more than usual, his shoulder pushing into his raven-haired friend's quite the amount with his laughs.

It was sort of nice, he liked it. A little friendly roughing was perfect and all, but the shoulders and the little brushes were kind of nice. Right?

Surely he wasn't the only one who noticed that.

"It's actually sort of nice." The blonde murmured, gaining a sideways glance from his taller pal.

Ryuji was not too sentimental- but.. after a month or two of a deep friendship, going through so much with this guy.. it was okay to be a little bit, right? Akira had his trust.

"You look nice." A quick breath later, he made sure to follow with a more characteristic phrase, "I won't let you know that though."

Akira derided the conflicting words, it was clear in his chuckle. Ryuji couldn't hear the noise, but he could very much see it in the other.

"Thanks. I'll take the compliment, and not the rest." His friend offered, leading him to smirk.

"Hey, who said you couldn't listen to me?"

Ryuji grinned. "I'm not a flowery guy. You, on the other hand.."

Akira laughed at his friend, some.

Their walk was brief other than that, it was truly only a short ways to the destination that Ryuji couldn't find if his life depended on it.

Akira didn't tease him further on bad directions, and silently Ryuji was pretty grateful for that.

The shop was extremely small, about as close to a kiosk as someone could get without being a kiosk.

A girl with chcolate brown hair, cut uncomfortably straight and flawlessly, greeted Akira with a smile that looked forced.

Her voice was quite pushy, and she stood with her hands around the ceramic orange pot, with a succulent inside.

"Ahh, Kurusu-kun, you've returned." She giggled with the most deceitful of voices, passive agression flowing out of her very pores.

"I said I'd be back in a minute." He offered with that sturdy expression, the one he usually had while speaking to teachers or .. really anyone outside of Ann or Ryuji, of whom was watching the situation unfold.

"Glad to see you care enough to come back, I thought we'd lost you for another week." She sassily replied.

Her piercing hazel eyes shifted to the blonde punk, humming into her words. She was far too saccharine, that she was a complete bitch towards them made it so much worse, "Try not to mess up anything. I know he's your friend or something, but try to stay out of the store, okay? Break it, you buy it."

She was cheekily smiling, until jumping off to continue whatever she had to do.

"Wow, bitch," Ryuji mercilessly snorted, not waiting more than a moment until she was off to apply his needed commentary.

Akira didn't respond, but he did laugh and push his glasses further up on his nose.

Ryuji smirked as he knew that the other totally agreed.

"So, what did you want me to do, again?"

"Well you're coming with me after work." The raven haired had to leave his friend's side.

It was okay though, because where ever in this teeny store that the teen went, they'd be within earshot of each other.

"Ohh, yeah! Goin' to get some new-"

He stopped himself, pretty wisely, too.

If Morgana was here, he'd frown and scold them at using terms like "guns" and "knives", even "weapons" in public. Especially in a crowded place.

But saying "Replicas" and "Models" actually just sounded horrible.

Akira met his eye by the time that he didn't finish his sentence. Quietly edging him to go on.

Ryuji, having waited too awkwardly to finish, just made a gesture with two fingers pointed, thumb up, and a "pew-pew" pointed at the direction unconsciously of the girl they mutually hated.

Akira held a hand over his mouth, hiding some laughs, Ryuji could see the creases in the guy's eyes.

It made his heart warm to see him laugh, and even if almost the entire rest of the hour was spent with him seated by a couple of potted orchids, flipping through his phone and taking (stealing?) the occasional glance towards his friend.

He meant what he said earlier- Akira looked pretty good. He looked..

He looked..

Ah. He couldn't find the word.

His hair was usually messy, and as a guy that had similar style, Ryuji admired that. But it was so much longer, too, it was curled and messy and wasn't supposed to look good, even if it did.

His glasses would reflect the light sometimes in some glint, and it was kind of cool, Akira rocked his glasses well.

Well, don't tell him he thought it, but his friend looked really good.

Good wasn't the word he was looking for, but he went with it. Perhaps he'd even dwell on that a little bit.

Letting reality, the noise of the world and the brightness of the mall, take him back to the world he was met with a sight to make his eyes widen a little.

Akira gazed back, a gaze of bright gray, he could make out the color even so far away. Their eyes were locked together tightly.

He turned his gaze away before it turned weirder than it might've seemed already, he did not wish for the other to question him about that later, hoprfully..

How long had he been staring, and more so, Akira staring back?

If his face was turning a deeper color, he had absolutely no idea why. It did feel a little hotter in this Mall than moments ago, though.

Akira wore a small smile the rest of his working day, it just.. didn't wipe away, and remained there.

..But don't ask Ryuji, he wouldn't know, he completely wasn't watching.


	3. Chapter 3 - Pew-Pew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gun store shenanigans and a little punk who's experiencing covet (from guns obviously)

"You really find some especially weird shit, when we're out. You really grab anything, huh?"

"Phantom Thieves, _Thieves_." Akira emphasized.

His bag was tucked snug under his shoulder, as well as a backpack, both full to bursting.

Ryuji was holding his own backpack, having offered it to the cause, his actual books he had not brought to school at all, having left them on his dining room table at home.

But all that he needed was a few papers for science, and he ended up stepping out of that class anyways.

They had lots of weird stuff that Akira- ahem, _Joker_ , would grab on their way throughout the palaces. Sometimes he found some cool stuff, but other times it was just.. random things.

Apparently, after almost every (if not, every other) trip to the Metaverse, Akira came here. Ryuju had no idea it was so often.

And, damn, he made some amazing money here, too!

The blonde knew showing his friend this gun store would be a good idea, but he even knew it would be quite so lucrative for them, after all.

What the scruffy man did with the things that were sold- he had absolutely no idea.

But, hey, that wasn't their business.

After all, the man made it a silent deal that if they didnt ask what he did with them, gladly, he wouldn't ask where theu got them.

The streets of Shibuya were nice and noisy, the sky was seeping into twilight, they'd missed the sun after a few hours underground.

But his friend did get a good 4500¥ After only a few hours, so Ryuji was happy to attend.

Especially, and probably more than anything; if it meant after he got that money devoted to a new weapon all of his own.

The door opened and closed, the silent store interrupted by such, but the only other person in the shop made it a goal not to look up. And did a good job keeping that goal.

Ryuji looked around at the model guns, swords, whatever else a guy could need.

He felt like a kid in a candy store. But if the kid was a punk, rejected teen. And the candy was guns.

So, really, nothing like a candy store at all. Maybe that's for the best.

"We've got more."

Akira spoke up, and it was the only thing to get the man's tired, drooping eyes to gaze up.

The adult bit down on the toothpick in his mouth, his teeth showing in some expression that could even be seen as aggressive, to him.

The continuously nameless man didn't speak up, but he did lean forward on his chair, over the counter as Akira started carefully emptying his many bags.

Ryuji figured he'd do the same, placing the contents of his backpack on the dustied counter, as carefully as he could manage.

He emptied out every little bead and slab that his friend had picked up, the counter was glistening with quite the amount of ..things.

He had a little bit of satisfaction swell up in him. They got all this stuff, themselves.

Hell yeah, they deserved to be pretty proud!

Just as he was smiling some to himself, he quirked his head to the side to see what their Joker was up to, or to sell first.

Akira's sharp eyes briefly flicked back towards him, and their gazes locked again.

Everytime that they did that it made him feel like the situation got so intense.

Akira looked at him quite a bit, when they first met on the way to school, those gray eyes scanned him a lot of times. He could always feel or, or catch it.

They never stopped watching him, and it was a weird thing, to be watched.. A weird thing he kind of was okay with.

He always felt a slight churn to his stomach, the slightest bit of some sort of unease.

Ryuji usually felt unease at a moment like this, because it never, ever crossed his mind at a timr that he could just.. break their staring contest.

Not until after it ended, and his throat was dry.

He really needed to start brooding a little more. There had to be a good reason for why that made his stomach flip, and his breathing a little harder, with a speedy heart.

His quickest thought was that he was probably scared, when Akira looked at him like that. ..not that he'd say that out loud.

Ryuji just realized their eyes were still locked, gray to brown.

Shoving his hands in his nonscelaunt way into the pockets of his jeans, Akira brought his eyes off of Ryuhi, and thanked him for the small action, a small grin residing at a place on his cheeks.

..How long did that last for, them staring at each other? The owner dude didn't seem to notice.

But.. it felt like minutes, at least.

Or.. like, ten seconds.

It felt like hours.

He squeezed his hand unti a fist at his side, feeling the slick of sweat at his palms, something he knows he didn't have an issue with when they were walking in here.

Yeah.. He needed to think this offer a little better, for sure. Sometime soon, preferably..

They had this primarily seperate time, Akira showing the goods of which they had, negotiating prices.

Ryuji was trying his absolute damndest not to be a bored kid waiting for his mom to finish talking with the grocery store man who had become a friend, but it was getting harder not to.

He kept himself entertained looking about, though. After all, this place was full of shiny, dangerous, explosive guns.

Guns that didn't work, of course, which is why they could have them, legally.

Actually.. Sort of legally? He didn't even know the whistles and bells of buying these things. But.. he got guns. And guns were cool things to have, especially in the Metaversr.

He dug the toe of his shoe into the flooring, and looked almost wantonly to the tall shelf of different guns, they all looked so cool, and sleek. He'd love to try them out in the Metaverse, all of them..

How much time passed while he mused over high-quality things, like the weapons, couldn't be told.

But before long he was drawn out of his thoughts by Akira, who gave his shoulder a nice tap.

It sucessfully pulled Ryuji out of his thoughts, much more gently than the blonde would've done in vice versa. Like, throwing his arm around his friend's shoulders and yanking him into a half-embrace.

His pal was wearing a pleasantly luminous grin, after snagging a good anount of pay, he guessed. And correctly.

"Have any you like?" He scanned over the wall of weapons Ryuji had especially liked.

He enjoyed his spiked-baseball bat, don't get him wrong, but his Tkachev left much to be desired, after Ann had gotten a shiny new gun last time she came here.

Of course, she was with Akira. Akira was very good to his teammates.

And this one was snazzy. He was in love, completely.

And, he also really liked this gun.

Piecing together what he said, he bit back a way too ludic grin, turning a little more away from his friend, leaning in another direction.

Before he could wander off or fall over somewhere else, Akira always had to drag him back.

Physically and socially, because he grabbed around his friend's arm, and tugged the punk closer, a fleeting touch.

He said something, but Ryuji blanked out a little, looking at the wall. Not the one of guns but the other one, which indicated his zoning out.

Within a moment though, at seeing Ryuji's complete and total lack of attention, Akira shoved the weapon to his hands.

The shotgun was long, but also really cold on his hands, he jolted to feel it.

He also jolted because Akira had wrapped his hands around his friend's to make sure he held it tight.

It was a mix of the cool, sleek metal of the gun, and the soft, warm touch of his guy friend's hand that made his neck and face feel a little more hot, and surely his palms a little more sweaty. Hopefully, Akira couldn't feel that, that's gross.

Probably mostly the gun. What, was he scared, again? He wasn't scared of Akira. He could look him in the eyes and talk to him normally on any occasion, even with their hands touching.

Bravely, on a silent bet with himself, Ryuji looked back up. "He's handsome."

Akira looked right back, and gave one, solid blink.

"I mean the.. gun."

"Okay.. We'll get it, then." Akira seemed to squint a little. He shifted his place in the room, and Ryuji didn't know how he felt about that.

He brought his pale hand behind Ryuji's back, patting his shoulder a little in reassurance, rubbing little circles.

They were nice circles, very nice. He rolled back into them a little, his back and most of him was perpetually sore, this was sort of nice..

"You sure you're okay?" There was more ready to be said, waiting on Akira's tongue for a negative answer, but as much as he wished to hear it, Ryuji tried to be logical about this.

"What? Yeah! I'm raring to go, ready to use this thing. Woop."

Akira laughed again, and it was a beautiful sound, that made the heat in his face rise to his ears.

The team leader gave his back a pat, or a few, and left his side to quickly pay for this weapon, his hands unwrapping from Ryuji's.

There he was, watching the lanky student that was his friend, and who made him behave oddly.

In a sudden moment, a surge of a well-kept emotion, he realized there were few that he has been as thankful to meet, as Akira.

He should.. convey that; maybe.

Maybe..

Right now, it was a muse for later, because Ryuji needed to firstly fawn over his rad new gun, and prepare for another trip to the Metaverse.

And he'd do it all with Akira at his side. So.. he'd get his chance. Soon.


	4. Chapter 4 - What Friends Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Real friends would never abandon one in pain, small or large

"I am dead. Actually dead."    
  
"You'll be okay." Akira offered, his expression was light, and he looked close to cracking a grin.    
  
Ryuji caught the face, and groaned some, face twisted in frustration.     
  
"It hurts, a ton, dude! You don't even understand!"   
  
Akira chuckled, relaxed, even if it made the blonde extra ticked. "You should've been watching where you were going. Not every street will be perfectly paved."   
  
The situation was truly one of suspense, and overwhelming adversity.    
  
Moments ago, he felt a flashback to the very moment of pain take him over.    
  
It had begun so innocently.   
  
Finally, holding their backpacks filled up with the new weapons they were so very glad of, on their way back to their corresponding home's, tragedy struck.    
  
The blonde had stopped in his tracks, in an instant, as pain shot through his body.    
  
Akira watched with heartless eyes, as his friend held his foot in his hands, the raven-haired fool even with the bravery to bring a chuckle.   
  
Such a heartless friend.    
  
He warped back to reality, applying extra pressure into every other step, to console his stubbed toe into feeling again through his thin, rugged sneakers.    
  
Ryuji groaned. "Do you even feel _pain_? Do you have emotions? Sympathy?!"   
  
"Of course I do."    
  
"You don't. At _all_! If you did, you'd be helping me!"    
  
Akira's symmetrical brows showed the most expression of his face, and Ryuji didn't watch the guy enough to locate where his emotion was.    
  
Even if it didn't vary a lot, the punk could watch as his friend arched one of said brows.    
  
Now, this pain wasn't actually too bad- but his leg did hurt like a son of a bitch, and his especially weak leg acting up wasn't helping anything even more. It was a bad situation.   
  
But the actions that followed were purely of a buddy-buddy sort, and the only reason that he accepted the offer was strictly because his leg hurt.    
  
Or not.. Maybe it was because the idea of that odd closeness was really comforting, and the offer was one he didn't get a lot, nor know he'd get at all.    
  
But Ryuji wasn't about to say that for anyone, much less the general public, to know. You didn't hear him from him.   
  
"What would I have to be doing to help?"    
  
"You could," Ryuji glared, and left his mouth open for words that he forgot last second.   
  
Or.. words that he never thought up, to start with, anyhow.   
  
"Ah."    
  
Akira chortled, a brief noise that sounded a lot better than the word 'chortle' would lead someone to picture.   
  
"Okay, nevermind. I just want to grill you a little,but you're not having it. Pretty heartless, dude."   
  
"Need me to carry you?" Akira offered, with a glint of humor across a quiet face, Ryuji's pupils dilated in surprise.    
  
"No! You don't need to! I'm f-fine..!" He felt hot, again, bringing a hand up to drag across his face. "That's really weird, dude."   
  
"Hey, just an offer." The taller of the two gave a chuckle, enjoying the time as    
  
"..You're built like a stick, anyway, how could you carry me?"    
  
"I could try." Their walking had stopped a short bit ago, the two of them were content in the shadows of the alley, just outside of Untouchables.   
  
They didn't make it too far, until The Tragedy had struck Ryuji's poor, unsuspecting foot.    
  
"My foot hurts really bad, man.." He heaved a deep, heavy sigh, his entire form moving with it.    
  
"My offer still stands. C'mon, since we don't have time to train, let's do this."    
  
Training sessions with Akira were good fun, he had to admit to that. He didn't give it too much thought, not that he was going to take this offer seriously.   
  
But when his tall friend kneeled down in front of him, back facing the confused blonde, he took the time to consider.    
  
"..You're gonna give me a piggyback ride? Through Shibuya?"   
  
"Yes. You're hurt. C'mon. Get up."    
  
The moment was one he never thought he'd be put into.    
  
It was probably the weirdest thing he'd ever do. But.. his friend insisted, at that.   
  
He slid forward, this time he could be absolutely certain his face was a darker shade than usual. Why? They weren't even looking at each other.   
  
Ryuji felt the recurring sweatiness of his palms, and hid his hands behind the sleeves of his purple Triple Seven sweatshirt. He reached out, gulping a weird dryness in his throat as he wrapped his arms around his friend's neck.   
  
"Nooope, change my mind, I'll walk," He shuffled to take a step back the second his chest was pressed onto his friend's back, his face so close to the back of Akira's slender neck was not on the list of places he wanted to be today.   
  
"C'mon, why not? Weirded out?" Akira chuckled, his shoulder puffed with the laugh, if Ryuji wasn't in a brief moment of confusion he totally would've called the other out for having a nice laugh. ..Or not.   
  
"I am not! Just.. think I'm good to walk?" Ryuji offered, and for some reason, his hands were still around the taller guy's neck. He hadn't noticed.   
  
He only noticed that his arms were still there when Akira grabbed his arm, even through his sweatshirt he could feel the shape of his friend's pale, and slim touch.    
  
Also, it was warm. Warmth was a bonus.   
  
"Noope." Ryuji sounded determined, but soon it came down to the facts, and the facts were that his arms were still around Akira's neck on their complete free will, and that even if he was awkwardly bent to try not to press his chest into the other boy's back too much, he was failing.   
  
"Hold on tight, okay? I got you,"    
  
Curse that trusting, leader voice, because he believed it completely and totally, giving himself up to have the other link his arms underneath his legs and hoist him up into a somewhat comfortable hold.    
  
Ryuji gave a not very manly noise of surprise, and did indeed hold around the other's neck tighter, even his weak legs a little tense for a number of reasons.    
  
The arms they rested on were very much one of those reasons. Luckily, Akira wasn't grabbing his thighs, just looping his arms underneath for him to perch his muscly man thighs on.   
  
Before time could pass on too much, Ryuji was off the ground, taller than ever, and being carried in a way he had to admit was a first.   
  
The number of curses or whatever else that could be shared were drowned out by a lot of factors. Like Akira starting to walk, like Ryuji hiding in the back of his neck  (because there was no way people wouldn't be giving them looks, especially down Shibuya).    
  
Now, Akira's neck was a nice place to be. His hair wasn't long enough in the back to cover quite all of it, leaving some of his pale skin exposed, just above his collar. Very pale skin, very nice.    
  
Should he tell his friend he had a nice neck? No, that's weird.    
  
But speaking of weird, his friend was carrying him, down the bustling night Shibuya street, even. they were going to the train station, he could tell from the familiar cracks in the street.   
  
Ryuji exhaled deeply, taking in the situation, trying to avoid grabbing the front of Akira's shirt, and holding around his arm instead.    
  
Those broad shoulders heaved once more, briefly, and he heard a chuckle.    
  
"That tickles, don't do that." Akira chuckled, his tone just laced with the slightest bit of a gleeful pitch.   
  
This entire situation was way too much. He wasn't going to sleep for a week, at the absolute least.   
  
"You do this type of stuff for me way too much, you know that?"    
  
He didn't plan the words - but then again, with Ryuji, when did he? He actually applauded himself for that, sometimes. A quality very few had these days.    
  
Akira hoisted him up with a arch of his back, which made Ryuji grip his shoulders instead of the neck. He held on pretty tightly, gripping the other male's shirt.    
  
"Hm.. You think I do?"    
  
Ryuji sighed again, this time facing to the side, so that he wouldn't cause another laugh. ..even if he sort of wanted to.    
  
"Yea.. Yeah. You're a great friend. Even when I didn't think you were a great friend, you were greater than anyone else I'd ever known."   
  
"..Thank you?" Akira smiled, he couldn't see it, but damn he could hear it in those words. It almost sounded giddy.    
  
But that was an illusion, for all the giddiness was in Ryuji, sometime during the last phrase he gained a grin.    
  
His cheeks were probably very red, yes.. But Akira couldn't see his face, which was good.   
  
"You're being odd, Ryuji." That caught him off surprise, and he scoffed.   
  
"Y-Yeah, me? I didn't offer this damn carrying thing!! You're the weird one, put me down! You're so fuckin' weird, Akira."   
  
"Nah." The saying was punctuated with a laugh, one of full force, and whatever curse was in Ryuji's dry throat, it was blessed away by the Kougaon-like power of a really damned lovely laugh.    
  
Their conversation ended, and as much as he had expected that it be an awkward moment, it wasn't. It wasn't at all.    
  
In fact, weirdly curled up around Akira's back and being carried like some sick child for nothing more than stubbing his toe, it was actually really nice.   
  
He could barely distinguish if this was a dream or something, but if it was a dream, it was fucking weird.    
  
But.. If it was reality, it was fucking weird too.    
  
Either way, whether he'd wake up from a dream soon red-faced, or go to bed on reality soon red-faced, these words stuck close to him, in more than his mind.   
  
Akira was such a good friend, to him. Even when they just met, on the ridiculous castle, when he spoke up and risked absolutely everything to help..    
  
What friends are for, huh?


	5. Chapter 5 - See Me Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a lot on his mind, Ryuji didn't have time to stop himself, not until he had already hit "send".

[Akira, dude, are you up?]    
  
His movements to text were groggy, much less ones he was registering. If they were ones that he was, he wouldn't expect an answer, at such a late hour.    
  
It was nearly midnight, and why Ryuji was up; well, he couldn't really say.    
  
[Dude]   
  
He lost the will to punctuate, taking an extra minute or two to examine Akira's contact photo, it was nice.    
  
[Duuuuuude]    
  
After learning that the amount of 'u's that he wrote wouldn't affect Akira's liability to check the message while he was asleep, he dropped his phone to the floor.   
  
With a groan, he rolled over, never having changed out of his jeans, the buttons and belt dug into his stomach, and sides.   
  
He stared sideways at a lazy, light polluted illumination seeping in through his window.    
  
After a moment, he buried his face underneath his flat pillow.    
  
The world didn't change, not after a minute of sitting still, and not after a moment of sitting back up, in his dark room.    
  
A rectangle perimeter of light emitted from his phone, and he finally leaned down to pick it up again, even if there was no response to his text, the app had closed sometime during the throw, and instead opened up was his phone's notepad.   
  
Writing. Writing was.. good.   
  
He didn't even think of that, actually. He could write something.. Of course, Akira wouldn't have to see it. Nobody would, so it was a lot more efficient than talking would ever be.   
  
He looked at the keyboard, and suddenly, the white digital notepad was intimidating.    
  
Where does he even start? Simply, could work. Detailing, all that.. He wasn't about to recruit some artist to help him out.    
  
And even at the mention of words that should've immediately made him think ridiculous things, like Yusuke painting him this horribly cheesy poem with all these flowery words, it didn't work.    
  
A poem was a bad idea. Even more so when the thought of Yusuke didn't even affect his sad mental state.    
  
No, his mind was stuck. It had been building up, for about a month, or so.. But this last week, it had struck. Heavily, too.   
  
This was.. bad. Pretty bad. He wasn't going to get out of this easy, it was killing him.    
  
And that's his leader, right? There's no way he wouldn't be put in front of Akira a million more days, and talk to him, and to listen to Joker offer him other sweet things.    
  
Ever since the day the two of them had met, Akira had offered him such selfless things. His very aura was helpful to be around, and the guy barely said half a dozen sentences a day.   
  
The notepad remained blank, and so was Ryuji's expression as he genuinely tried to collect his thoughts.    
  
Out of all the things revolving around his head, the fond look that his friend would shoot him, after a successful downing of an enemy, or a "Crit Hit"     
  
Or, the days after school, in the hallway. Akira's travel to get out of the school was to lead downstairs, and nowhere else- however, he always took a detour. His detour was to loop around the 3 floor stairs, where Ryuji usually stood to see if he could catch some chatter from Takeishi, or Nakaoka.   
  
The transfer student, as casual as he looked, was treated like a rock in the river, which everyone like water, meandered out of their way to avoid.   
  
Even with all the shit that had been going on the last few months, nobody forgot about Akira's record. It was truly a sad thing.   
  
Nobody even knew that the only reason he would ever hurt someone like that; was because that woman's life, and everything, was in danger. He did hurt someone, what of it? It was brave, he did it from the goodness of his heart.    
  
Akira had a humongous heart. It was so painful, it watch it, and him, get stepped on by people. Like those that would avoid him, give him leers across the hallway and make up rumors about him that he never did.   
  
But.. that's where their friendship came from, Ryuji guessed.   
  
Before he'd noticed it- mapping out his thoughts didn't give him any success on writing, but he did have a smile on his face, now.   
  
At least that could be seen as a start, perhaps..    
  
He tapped the bottom of his screen a few times, watching it switch apps, and before he knew it he was in another familiar chat, with a friend.    
  
the screen was a red background, and he heaved a deep sigh, one from his very core, until typing.    
  
It was a belated exhale, like one from when he was in track, to slowly try to regain composure.    
  
The words were clear as day, right in front of him.    
  
[I'm in love with my dude friend.]   
  
It wrote, a phrase that made total sense, but even still he had to reread it a few times to comprehend that he admitted it.    
  
It had been this way for a little over two months, though.    
  
And he needed some help, to know that he was actually losing sleep from discomfort and indecisiveness.. he needed help to figure this out.   
  
His male best friend- male, best friend.   
  
Ryuji just.. never thought he was that sort of guy, supposedly. He liked ladies, he liked the idea of sex and all that. He was pretty normal to other teen boys at that.   
  
But really, a guy? It was so much different, and so extremely on its head from anything familiar.   
  
Akira was a nice guy, and a great friend, great leader and just.. great human being. But..    
  
Then, it started being how sly he was, Ryuji thought he was awesome. Absolutely, awesome. How he'd take a humongous leap, all on the strength of his legs, plant on a shadow's shoulder and tear a mask off with one hand.    
  
Pretty cool, right? Akira's some awesome superhero, to watch! So agile, and yet so humble. Ryuji knew that h'd never be able to do flips and shit like that guy does, not even before his legs were like this.   
  
As a thief, Akira was pretty cool. And then it started spilling to the real world, and then he started noticing  more stuff.   
  
And now, when Ryuji recognized that he couldn't take his eyes off of the guy, because he thought he was so handsome?    
  
Inky black locks cascading down thin cheeks, his slender eyes held no color, only gray. It was a color that totally fit him, and whenever, wherever Ryuji caught those eyes, and they looked back..    
  
Faintly, faintly, one could see his mischievous glint. For a stern face, he wondered how long that it had been there. Akira's face was still as stone, as if frozen by a past that he'd gotten past the point of being haunted by. Or perhaps he was still hurting, from that past?    
  
Maybe the guy walked through the world knowing that he had been ruined past the point of fixing. Ryuji thought that's where he was, sometimes.    
  
Maybe he didn't think he was ruined at all, maybe he truly was just as casual as he made people believe, about even his past.    
  
He put a lot of thought into those seven words.    
  
And with his mind filled with curiosities of Akira, that deep and brooding mind, hid away behind lenses. Buried in a pair of gray eyes, locked away, with a faint glint, which would never die away..    
  
With a lot on his mind, Ryuji didn't have time to stop himself, not until he had already hit "send".


	6. Chapter 6 - Operation: Subtlety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home, sweet home.

"You know, I was beginning to get worried, thinking that you weren't going to let me over again!"

"Yeah?" He laughed, a twitch to his pale lips, a sight Ryuji barely caught at their angles.

"Yeah. I mean, always smellin' like coffee, living here.. I expected you'd do a better job making me something to drink edible."

"You drank Yusuke's." He pointed out, with a chuckle, and a glance over his shoulder, fondly. "He likes it with little sugar."

"It was awful! Never feed me that again, not what I tried out of his cup." Ryuji exclaimed, his backpack bouncing with his step as they lead out of the restaurant, and upstairs. After all, the Boss, he was surely shooting the louder of the two sideways glances.

Which made sense, the two elderly customers were watching them with confusion, to have the silent and retro atmosphere strangled by an overwhelming wall of childish shenanigans.

Akira head up first, his steps relatively quiet on somewhat creaky steps, carefully placed. They sounded so subtle compared to Ryuji's trampling, destructive stomps, as careful as he somewhat tried to be.

A sort of smart boy, the last few days very much remembered and present in his mind, Ryuji didn't take a look at the other until he was at the top of the stairs.

He didn't need to fuel any sort of fantasy. After all, when was that shit going to start happen?

He'd heard some horror stories about crushes, after all.. He didn't need to fuel some sort of sultry daydream while in the same room as Akira. Nor ever, actually.

Akira finally dropped the heavy bag, on his shoulder. Morgana mewled from inside as it hit the cushioned landing of the bed.

Ryuji was next to follow, his behind taking a majestically executed plop down onto the bed. The taller student remained standing on his long legs, hands placed into his pockets comfortably, looking far too perfect for Ryuji's primary being to function properly.

"What're you feeling up for, dude?" Ryuji offered, a little smile on his face out of pure giddiness. He was trying to keep that nervous coiling to a minimum, but it had already gotten bad, no matter how much he told himself he could handle it on the way here.

Akira thought, his eyes at a place by the window, and Ryuji shamefully watched that stern expression.

"Well, you asked to come over. Did you.. have anything in mind?"

The blonde snuck a peek at his phone, seeing a new text. The text that filled him with fret last night, now it was reassurance from his high-stakes situation.

Akira had no idea how important this movie was to him. Not just the movie, per se, but the two of them spending this time together.

[What's happening, right now?]

It read, as he leaned over his side to read the text more clearly. He snuck a glance at Akira, who was leaning back in his chair, his ankles hooked and arms crossed over his chest.

He seemed to be watching the movie closely, and Ryuji had to stop himself before he would watch Akira closely instead.

Reminding him of his mindset and why he invited himself over today.

[We're watching a movie about a dog or somethin. He's really invested in it, it's super cute.]

He texted back, with one hand tapping onto the keys with a speed that could only be done by a digitally active teen.

[Ryuji, you're so gay.]

He bit his lip and contemplated that, but taking a second glance at Akira, he couldn't deny it.

[Bi, excuse you.]

[Or what was that other one? Pan, maybe.]

He read from her, with a quiet sigh.

[Yeah, I'll take pan. Sounds cool. Now, what should I do?]

Ann took a moment or so to text back, and Ryuji took the time to bravely look through the texts that he shared with her last night.

 


	7. Chapter 7 - Compeer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, this isn't gonna work. I'm gonna ruin the Phantom Thieves because I've got this big gay crush. Fuuuuck.

[I'm in love with my dude friend.]   
  
It was a weird set of words to haunt him, but this was quite the awakening to him, and staring at his ceiling for a little bit and considering the fact he had a really not straight crush was something he needed to do.    
  
His phone rested facing down on his stomach, and his hands behind his head. He had hurled his pillow at his closet door in frustration a bit ago.   
  
What was his mom going to say, all of his friends? How would this affect them as Phantom Thieves?    
  
Akira looked like a pretty open guy.. but what if he wasn't into .. dudes?    
  
Well, if Ryuji just found out he was into dudes, (Ryuji, the boy who was the most sure of himself that he was all for the ladies), it wasn't too much to assume someone else might be too.   
  
Nah, girls were hot. Akira was not hot, not like ladies were. The infatuation was so much different, it was freaky.   
  
Could he say that Akira was hot, like.. on the inside?    
  
That's dorky as hell, no.    
  
He's a sweet guy, really. His presence was reassuring, he made it that way.   
  
Not just hot, no. This was like.. bad. This was really weird. Yeah, it was a guy which made it weird but- this at all was weird.    
  
Ryuji was a pretty kooky guy he'd had a lot of little crushes, but this? This was like a ton of bricks.   
  
Rolling over, shoving his head into his pillow, he screamed at the top of his large lungs. Sound was muffled, but only so much.    
  
His phone vibrated, and his heart completely stopped.    
  
Staring at the object as if it was the cause of every issue Ryuji had; which right now was somewhat true, the high schooler pondered reaching for it.    
  
Before he could even tell himself not to, though, he'd pounced on it and pulled up his messenger, the bright red color of the back of the screen stinging his dazed gaze.    
  
[Ryuji, I didn't know you were into that.]   
  
It read. And, no, it was not from Akira. Because he didn't text Akira the cursed confession text.    
  
He texted Ann, the girl he was on and off friends with. He needed someone's help right now.   
  
[Fuck off] Ryuji texted back so quickly his thumbs fumbled, and barely sent without a misspelling.    
  
He was on extremely high alert and defense, rolling from his stomach to his back with his grip around his phone especially tight.   
  
[I really don't know what to do though] He followed up with, before Ann could finish whatever it said she was typing.   
  
He wasn't sure if he appreciated her teasing response too much. [Who's the unlucky guy?]   
  
[Fuck OFF none of your business]   
  
[Heyy I can't help you out if you won't tell me.]    
  
[No, I don't want this to be common knowledge.]    
  
[Hold on a second.]    
  
[Can we just call instead?] Ann followed up with, following his exact thoughts.    
  
[Yeah, that sounds fine.. But dont fuckin tease me anymore]   
  
[Alright, promise. Not right now anyway.]    
  
Before he could reply to her again, he was listening to the ringing of the phone, and accepted it almost immediately with a tap to the greenish burron.    
  
The ringing of the cell phone was very loud in a quiet home, and he didn't wish to wake his poor mother for a large plethora of reasons.    
  
"Yo," He replied, leg bouncing against the floor, antsiness or something close was evident in his voice.   
  
"Yo," She followed up- he couldn't quite decipher how she felt in her voice. Usually, he couldn't, but some defensive part of him was eager to know that his secret was going to be kept.   
  
"So," She articulated, he heard some shuffling in the background, whatever she had to excuse for a moment ago. "You've got a big guy crush?"    
  
He groaned, "So what? I thought we established that, don't tease me."    
  
"I'm not, calm down, Ryuji." She chuckled and he absolutely hated the noise, at such a dire moment as this.   
  
"Is he like.. a guy at our school? I mean.."   
  
"..Yeah. Maybe he is."    
  
"And you don't know what to do about it?"   
  
"Yeah.." He sighed heavily, quieting down a little as he laid back down in his bed. "Like.. what am I supposed to do? I like the guy. ..a lot. But I can't like.. tell him that. Or anyone else that I do. That's weird, and I'm not supposed to like a guy.."    
  
"Hey now, why aren't you supposed to like a guy? Nothing wrong with that."    
  
"Hey,"    
  
"It's a normal thing and it's okay. The only person saying you can't like guys is you."   
  
He took in a deep breath, a better part of him knowing she was completely right, and on the next moment that he exhaled the beans were ultimately spilled.    
  
"It's Akira."    
  
He heard a noise between a choked cackle and a snort, which personally offended him.    
  
"Ohh, I understand. Yeah, that's okay, that makes sense. Yeah, you're good, don't worry."   
  
"Wait, what?"    
  
"That's fine, a good guy to like, too."    
  
"Yeah, whatever.. But that doesn't mean anything.."    
  
"Hey, don't be crabby, I'm trying to reassure you, here."   
  
"Yeah but, like.. what're my chances, and all, Ann? There's no way he likes guys, I'm not that lucky."    
  
His chest hurt, it was a feeling he had a name to, now, and he hated that it was aching because of his infatuation with Akira. Or anyone, really. He hated that it ached because of his lack of chances.   
  
"You'd be surprised. I mean.. I don't know for sure, but.."   
  
"See? I have no idea what to do." He groaned again, throwing himself onto his side on the bed.    
  
"How about just ask him on a date? I mean, you go over all the time already."   
  
"No fucking way! I can't do that!! Just if he figured out about this it would ruin our friendship, he's like my brother or something, there's no way he'd be okay with this."    
  
"But, Ryuji,"    
  
"And what about the Phantom Thieves? How much more difficult is this going to make it for him, and for all of us?"    
  
"Ryuji, breathe, calm down. You're fine."   
  
He, wanting to argue but realizing he actually did indeed need some air, begrudgingly inhaled. "..'m not fine."    
  
"You're fine." "But, you should do something.. I mean, just go and talk to him, about this, I guess. I still think a date would be perfect."    
  
"But how the actual fuck am I supposed to like.. you know? Romance, all that shit..?"    
  
"Flirting, I guess?"    
  
"Godddd, noooo. I don't want to embarrass myself, here."   
  
"No, actually, hear me out. It might be a good way to like.. get him thinking about it, or something. Like just.. little stuff? Show how kind and chivalrous you are."   
  
"Oh my god, this isn't gonna work. I'm gonna ruin the Phantom Thieves because I've got this big gay crush. Fuuuuck."   
  
"Noooo, you can do it! You gotta be.. princely. Like, a nice guy. You can do it, though, Ryuji!!"    
  
"Annnnnnnn," He whined.    
  
"Akira will be pinning for you by the time we're done, then you swoop in for the kill, and save your princess. Got it, knight?"    
  
"..okay. Don't call me knight." He was actually getting a little giddy, she could totally hear it. "Alright, you got this big idea, how are we gonna start it?"    
  
"Text him and tell him you're gonna come over tomorrow!! You know, like you always do."    
  
"Yeah, yeah, okay.. And what do I do when I'm over?"    
  
"Like.. a movie, maybe?" She hummed. "Not sure. But.. you two always have fun whatever you're doing, right?"    
  
"..Yeah, yeah.. Maybe we do.."    
  
"Pfft, he told me about your two's escapades coming home from his work yesterday."    
  
"Shitttttttt. Don't tease me, my foot still hurts from then."    
  
"Yeahh. Alright." She laughed. "Now, go to bed, okay? Talking to you makes me tired."   
  
"Yeah, fuck off! Fuck you too, then." Ryuji actually felt himself smile, a little.   
  
"Goodnight! Do good tomorrow, okay?"    
  
"I'll try.. G'nite."   
  
"Night." After a moment, the line was cut, and he stared at the screen as he sorted through this all.   
  
He wondered how far this flirting stuff was going to go, and how far it was going to get him, in all honesty.    
  
What if Akira.. totally was into him, though? He didn't think about it before, but..   
  
..that'd be great.   
  
He pulled open Akira's chat with groggy eyes, taking a moment to admire that little profile photo.    
  
[Hey, Akira.]    
  
[Sorry I bothered you.] Gotta start being kind, right? He was already thinking about it..   
  
[I'm going to be hanging out at the café tomorrow, if you'd like to hang out, I'll be there!]    
  
He was doing great at being sweeter than usual. This wasn't so bad. Not to Akira, anyway. He smiled at his written message before sending.   
  
[Sleep good.]


	8. Chapter 8 - Sploosh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ..he wasn't going to survive this night.

They were cramped way closer than Ryuji thought he could handle, right now.

Sojiro was nowhere to be found, and so was everyone that could be considered a customer.

To be fair, usually those who were customers were never here, actually. ..don't tell Sojiro he thought that.

He wasn't sure he envied the freedom that Akira had living in such a nice smelling café, but, today he got to learn about the chores his best friend had to do in return for living here.

He'd done the dishes a million and a half times, that was completely not the issue, however to have a slender, boney elbow pressing against his, when he was trying his best not to think about stuff to make him blush and scream silently- well, the touch was a little hard not to trigger that stuff. 

Even so small! God, get your shit together, Ryuji! This won't work at all like this. 

"Hey, dude, you're the best. ..?" He blurted out, standing as dead still as he could. He didn't sound sure, damn it. He had messed that up.

Akira, who's hands was sudsy all the way up to his elbows, quite quickly stopped and looked down some to Ryuji.

The quirky little glance, paired with a small, pleased but confused grin, totally got Ryuji's heart to swell up in his chest a little more.

He averted his hazel eyes back down to the rag in his hands, damp from the water it's been drying. He held a plate under the rag tightly, to avoid it falling.

"I just wanna say that." He followed, seeing that Akira was a little taken back. "Dudes are never able to let their feelings out, you know? I got to just.. tell ya."

He heard a small chuckle. God, a chuckle. That was just cute.

He looked back and their gazes locked, and his own unsure, trying grin was without a doubt nothing to match the saccharine look of Akira's tiny little smile.

"Thanks, Ryuji. You're right."

His heart was going to melt.

But oho, he was off in a good direction. This wasn't.. as weird as he thought.

But gosh, his heart was beating heavy enough that he could hear it, feel it thudding against his skin, enough to move his apron front the slightest if he looked close enough.

The blonde looked away as he took to rinsing off a few more of the dishes presented to him in the sink in front of him, then switching to the rag to dry.

He could feel the hot dryness of his throat, of a sudden, and his thin lips. He flicked his tongue out to wet them, turning back to Akira with a small blink, as those damn eyes he'd been thinking of for so long were directly on him. 

Well, not him.. His apron front, his chest. What, could Akira hear his heart, or something..?

Ryuji knew he had that third eye or something.. God, what was he supposed to do about that?

Trying to dry a little faster, desperate to stir up some noise to throw off Akira somehow, he gulped back into his chafed throat.

"You're drenched." The raven haired spoke up, turning from Ryuji's chest to his face, and asking with utmost and genuine concern, "Do you have a change of clothes?"

It took a moment to register, Ryuji was on a different world entirely as far as his mind went. But he finally looked down to his shirt to indeed see that both the apron and his shirt underneath were absolutely soaked.

He wasn't even washing, the hell did he manage that? He murmured, "Ah, shit.."

Akira was totally invested in him, and it was weird now that he thought about it. What, getting drenched was the secret ti getting his caring attention?

"I don't think I do.. I mean, I didn't know I'd do this."

"You can borrow a shirt, if you need, after."

"What?" He blinked. Wasn't he going to be going home soon?

"But aren't you going to be staying?"

Oh, shit. Okay.

OH SHIT!

The plan was totally working! His first order of business, to let Akira stay over. Hell, yes! Total success!

Swaying his side into having their shoulders collide, Ryuji grinned up at the other male. "I mean, if that's okay. I can handle a wet shirt."

"Yeah, but I don't want my room all wet. Borrow one." He urged, playfully. It could be told in his expression. Still, but without the serious gaze. This was playing.

"Okay, okayyy, I will." He continued on drying his dishes, after rinsing them off. His hands were so much more rough than Akira's, both in his actions and in overall feel and look.

"Hey, Ryuji." Akira elbowed his side, and the blonde in question gave a small grunt of impact as he looked on up.

"Thanks for coming over, and staying. And what you said. You're the best."

..he wasn't going to survive this night.

That took a moment to get past, blushing like hell itself was going to burn through the skin of his face, and grinning like the biggest, most lovestruck dork on this planet.

It wasn't his fault that his crush was just that damned sweet..

"Duuuuuuuude," He dragged out, bringing a damp hand to brush throughout his hair anxiously, grinning really wide, but turning some to try not to show it too much.

"Thanks for having me over. Time with you is.. well, it's pretty damn great..! Makes me feel.. Uh. Happy. But really happy, a lot more than usually."

He was going on a rant, and soon he looked back, meeting with a pair it gray eyes he knew way more well than he should.

"I'm glad, I can make you happy."

"God. I'm not going to survive this night." He voiced under his breath, with a deep sigh laced with a groan or two, wondering genuinely what he could do most effectively.

Akira chuckled audibly, but didn't follow with a comment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> might get some deep plot sometime soon
> 
> okay huge thanks for all the support that this fic has gotten?? im literally so blessed thank all of you???? I hope the fic is something you all are enjoying heck yall are sweethearts


	9. Chapter 9 - Selfless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's fine, really." Ryuji took a small sigh, thinking of that inconsiderable selflessness that followed Akira like a particularly pleasant shadow.

"Just don't get sick." He finished the action with a pat to his friend's back, a little concerned for how Ryuji might feel in that.    
  
Little did he know, Ryuji did not care at all. Not about the plaid shirt, anyway. About the action of being touched, absolutely.    
  
He was slowly fumbling with the small buttons down the front, putting on the shirt successfully. It smelled like the aroma of coffee, which lingered in the air in Akira's room.    
  
The lovely scent of coffee had never been so great, since meeting this boy. and the shirt he was just borrowed smelled just like it, too.    
  
It was a little lanky on him, a little further dress-like than he'd prefer. But when it smelled like Akira, so that was fine. He hid his blushing face hiding shrunken down in the borrowed shirt, scented with sweetness and comfort.   
  
"Thanks, Akira.. I'll make sure to wash it up and bring it back sometime soon." Or kidnap it and keep it forever, it was comfy.. Akira's arms were a little skinnier than he thought, though. It was tight on his own biceps.   
  
"Don't worry yourself." The raven haired selflessly offered, with a smile and a sweet ambiance, doing nothing if not being so nice, like damn usual.   
  
Stretching his arms above his head, Ryuji frowned in fleeting thoughts, concerned further about possibly being a burden to his nice friend.   
  
"Why do you gotta be on the sofa? I'm the guest, put me there instead."   
  
"No, that's exactly why I can't let you." Underneath the space of shelves near the front of the room, he had a comforter rolled up, for winter seasons. He grabbed it, to shake any dust off and wrap it around his broad shoulders. His inky hair, messed up and ruffled further from the action.   
  
Ryuji crossed his arms from his place. "But I feel bad. You're giving me a lot and I reward you with an uncomfortable couch."    
  
"It's fine, really." Ryuji took a small sigh, thinking of that inconsiderable selflessness that followed Akira like a particularly pleasant shadow.   
  
His friend was so, so nice to him, and honestly, Ryuji was not returning that. As he grabbed the thin blanket in his hands and tugged it up to his chin, he remained frowning.    
  
"It alright if I turn this off?" Akira asked, im reference to the light. He was tired, after all, Ryuji could tell by the little yawns that the other was trying so hard to cover up.   
  
The light went off with the tap of a switch, and he adjusted to the darkness, now. Except for the slight moonlight pouring in from the window, that was nice on the eyes. Covering things in a gentle, silvery hue.   
  
It was quite dark, and he reveled in the cool chill of air nipping at his exposed face, making his nose redder.    
  
This attic wasn't exactly the warmest place in the Earth, but.. he was grateful for the soft blanket he had, holding it tight around himself.   
  
It was quiet.. Why did he care how quiet it was? It was a little weird, and uncomfortable, though. His mind was racing from the day, and a sort of upset just.. settled in his stomach, like a rock.    
  
"Akira?" He spoke up, strictly on an impulse, biting back his bottom lip after the questioning words slipped by.   
  
He heard a hum in response, or had he imagined it?    
  
God, more was slipping by. Why was he doing this? To himself, to Akira? What was even going on?   
  
He never knew that little crushes could be as problematic and taxing as this. He couldn't get by a moment without questioning himself, second guessing like he never had before.   
  
Was this a true crush? "I just want to tell you, that.. I just.."   
  
He inhaled a deep, and sharp lungfull of air.    
  
"I'm really glad, that out of everyone, you chose to be my friend.. Even when.. Teachers told you to stay away, and shit, and that you let me in on the Phantom Thieves.. And all.. You just make me really.. glad."    
  
It was silence but from small, collected breaths of Ryuji, who laid on his side and peered through thick darkness to the sofa, but couldn't make out shapes enough to see Akira.   
  
"You make me glad, too."    
  
Ahh, so he was awake. He felt a chill down his spine, and a dorky grin he absolutely couldn't help.   
  
"You're.." He took another breath. "I.."   
  
His throat felt stuck, and he shifted where he was in bed. He laid on his side, an arm tucked underneath the pillow as he stared at the cracked wall in front of him.    
  
Now, there was shuffling. Looking over his shoulder, he couldn't make out the figure. He heard creaks on the floor, though.    
  
"Hey, what're you-"    
  
"You're cold, right? Take this, instead."   
  
Now, he could finally make out the other. Akira was standing beside the bed, holding the comforter he had been using, to offer Ryuji.    
  
His black night shirt was big enough to almost fall off of his broad shoulders, the sleeves trailing down slender arms, and almost over his hands.    
  
His messy raven hair, soft as feathers and petals and all things delightful in the universe, cascaded down the sides of his face like an ink frame, to a painting of gorgeous features, on his face.    
  
The beautiful hue of a bright moon, just a dim enough illumination to put a perfect light on him, didn't help Ryuji's infatuation.   
  
He gulped back the dryness in his throat, wondering when he had rolled over and sat up to face Akira, and forcing himself back to reality.    
  
The blonde swatted away the hand that offered him the blanket.    
  
"Noo, then you'll be cold. I don't want you to be.." He decided.    
  
It was silent, the room was quiet enough that the sounds of their breath didn't even register.    
  
Was he.. dreaming, this scene? It felt surreal for sure.. What was happening?    
  
And almost in harmony with his suspicions, Ryuji's hazel eyes widened to the next question.   
  
"Why don't we share it?" He could make out the corners of a grin. Or was he.. dreaming that? Or.. imagining, at least?   
  
He should choose his words and actions very carefully. But before even that.. he was left little time to think.   
  
Akira sat himself on the side of the bed, beside him, and he immediately remembered that he didn't answer. "Yes, we can.. share it. I mean, I'll try not to be too close.. Sorry, if I am. I'll try not to.." He repeated himself, as Akira threw the blanket over them, tucking Ryuji in.    
  
It was a very sweet motion, and it even made Ryuji feel nostalgically the affirmative, cozy feeling of when his mother would do the same action.    
  
He laid his head back on the pillow, near the side, to look over to his friend.    
  
Akira laid down next to him, and sharing this pillow, Ryuji realized how extremely close the both of their faces were.    
  
"Happy?"    
  
He could feel warm breath on him. Or.. was that his horrible blush? Akira had a little bit of blush, he could see it, a tiny tint of pink.. But his lips were curved, in a saccharine smile. And his lips slightly parted, a bit he may not even notice he was doing.    
  
"I'm." Ryuji muddled, as he took in this sight, and noted in the deepest part of his memory the look of his best friend.    
  
"You're?" With a slight blink, and an adjustment to lay his hand comfortably in the space between the two of them, Akira encouraged the other.    
  
Under the light of the moon, and in an action not any amount of willpower in this world could've stopped, Ryuji closed the gap between them.    
  
His mind and body in a panic, he slid his hand onto the slender white one of Akira's, holding around it as he pressed their lips together.


	10. Chapter 10 - Infotainment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is that something you think you can handle? If not, you better forget all about your dumb little crush."

Panic was swelling up, in his chest, it was both alike and unalike to any he'd been forced to live in before.

His head hurt, it was as if someone slammed it to the pavement. Perhaps once was believable, but this felt like it had been done many times.

His body felt heavy, his arms as well. But his legs even more.

His eyes felt horribly sore, like they'd been staring unblinking for hours, maybe even days.

The air was metallic, and he could taste it, it was nasty.

Where was he?

His eyelids, of which every nerve and part of his body screamed to be held shut, opened wide.

The wall he stared at held a deep crack in it, he noticed first. The light was from outside of where he was, and if he cranked his neck, he noticed two things.

Vertical, tall bars, trailed from the floor to the ceiling, close together. He had seen bars like these just earlier today, but.. they honestly looked more well kept.

Wherever he was laying, it was uncomfortable. He threw his legs over the side, ignoring how heavy they were, nor the painful bruises on him which screamed in agony at being so much as touched by his very clothes.

His clothes weren't ones he recalled putting on.

He was in.. a prison. The black and white stripes of a matted jumpsuit proved such to him.

Had he been arrested?

He exhaled, to anyone that could possibly be there to listen, but no works came out of his dry throat.

His hands gripped around the metal of the bars as if he had the strength to crush them- move them, or whatever else.

It was a new place, and he was not sure where he was, a feeling he'd been through twice today.

His lip curled in anger, it was a look that he could make out in a brief reflection in the shackles of his hands.

The side of his face was stained in dried blood, traveling from his scalp down to the defiant sharpness of his chin. He could feel the pain, fom the cut that it came from.

When was he brought here? The last memory he had to review was being in his bed, at home. Kamoshida had had some large, armor-wearing knights hold him, as he threw punches and kicks, the entire svene went by so quickly Ryuji couldn't confirm what bruise or cut came from what.

Kamoshida..

He needed to get out of here, but before he knew that, even he could piece together he needed to know where "here" was.

"Hey!" He shouted, slamming his hand against the bars, making the shackles rattle and clack.

Every sound echoed throughout a lit room, a circle of other cells, it seemed. A desk, or some sort of table, was seated in the center of it all.

But his cell was clearly behind the table, as could make out a ridged, spiky spine on a form seated soft looking chair, just peeking out over the back.

He needed to get out of here, and now.

Then pushing his bruised, battered shoulder instead of his fist for a louder noise, and to get the metallic bars to jump. "HEY!"

Third time was a charm, cranking his hands above his head and ready to throw them at the bars, they rattled with impact before he ever hit them.

"SHUT UP," A snappy, but high pitched voice held extreme power, making him fall a little back and onto his behind in surprise.

"What are you trying to do?" It was a she, he made out that, but not the one in front of him- the voice was a little more gentle.

Bringing his eyes back up from the cracked cement of the floor, he was met with one round, yellow eye. Piercingly bright, through the dark bars.

He jumped, exclaiming what was probably a profanity.

"Hey!" She scolded, and slammed the bars with a sort of baton, making them rattle and him flinch. This was the girl that yelled at him first, there were two. Were there more? "Stop your screaming, inmate!"

"Inmate?!" He scoffed.

"Yes you, inmate." Not the one in front of him but the nicer sounding one, she reassured him. Sort of. Though both of them sounded like they thought they were superior than him.

The girl stepped back, and he could see she was.. little. She sounded little but.. What in hell was a little girl doing in a prison?

She wore a curt blue shirt, not unlike he'd expect some sort of police officer to. She wore puffy black shorts, and socks which trailed up to her little knees, she was built like a stick.

Her lips were a grin, a small one, just under a button nose, and the one eye she did have was glaring golden daggers at him.

Blonde; no, it looked white- hair was pulled up into two terse buns, and atop her head, a square hat.

What a bizarre situation, a bizarre person.

He had little to none, when it came to a level head to deal with this situation with.

He scrambled to his feet, his legs aching and beaten from earlier.

His legs never worked like they were supposed to, anyway.

Much less comfortably, not anymore they didn't.

He threw his hands to the bars, the chain around his wrists slammed chain by chain into the bars, ringing throughout the room.

He could make out both of their forms, and they watched him.

"Waiting for something?" He hissed, though he suspected it was internal, he wouldn't complain that it was said.

"The hell do you want?"

The girl swung her baton, pointing it at him- he couldnt make out which of the others in the room (that he could see) she was talking to.

"I didn't expect him to be so unbelievably rude."

He could make out that the other little girl held a clipboard, and it even looked like she was writing something on it.

"We didn't choose him, it can't be helped." The girl wore a braid, Ryuji could tell when she turned on her heels, clacking into the floor as she approached the desk in the middle of the room.

"Let me out of here," His forearm bumped the bars of the cell, with a growl.

She was hasty at throwing a lash towards him, successfully hitting his fingers wrapped around the bar, he shook it off with a hiss and another curse.

"What am I even here for, what did I do?!"

He was met with silence, except the quietest talk, it was of the braided girl and the .. form, in the center of the room.

"Let me out of here, damn it!"

She went to try to hit his other fingers, but he pulled them back quick enough that she just managed the bars.

"You're so loud. Shut up, do you even want to be back out soon?"

He had much more, ready on his tongue to yell, patience had never been a friend of his.

It didn't seem like they were going to be changing that anytime soon, but finally their brief screaming match was met when they came to him with something he felt a need to listen to.

"Listen up!"

Then, spoke the calmer voice. He had finally decided, yes, it was calmer. But not more gentle. Just.. a different kind of harsh from the other girl. Both harsh. Harsh little bratty police girls.

"You're treading on dangerous ground, here. And you need to be taking this with utmost seriousness.."

He blinked, taken off guard.

"Dangerous? I don't even know where I am! Don't you try to complain to me about being dangerous, I didn't want to come here!"

"Shut up!! We're giving you a warning, here!"

He hissed some, and huffed, a hand on his bent knee as he fell back onto a seat on the ground.

"You're trying to do something big, here! We have noticed what you have been doing, and feeling."

"If you fail, you could harshly damage his rehabilitation, which our master has been working tirelessly to complete."

"Do you even understand? This is big!"

"You could even damage his heart and persona, if you fail badly enough."

"We're not letting someone stupid like you damage all we've done! You'd better get yourself together, and figure it out, stupid inmate! You're changing fate, here!"

He wished for once he didn't understand someone. Or, two someones.

This was about Akira, and he could tell as they went on. No mistaking who the mystery "him" was.

He held a fist on the ground, and his brow quirked in thought. For a brief moment they granted him silence, a chance at composure.

"What is going to happen if I succeed, though? What happens if it goes right?"

The two twins shared some sort of look, and the one with the braid flipped through her clipboard briefly, her lips twisting in a small smile.

What, had he said something right? It seemed so.

"The birth.. of power unfathomable."

"More power than someone like you could even try to understand, how's that?"

Unfathomable power, huh?

And also, Akira's sweet little face, all his?

He knew what he had to do.

"But beware, even if this goes successful.. It will be frowned upon, and no adversity will hide itself from you. And for all of your shared fate, at that.."

"Is that something you think you can handle? If not, you better forget all about your dumb little crush."

"No, I'll do it.."

He murmured, his eyes at some point having trailed down to his lap, his fist clenched as he nodded.

"I'll do this." Ryuji repeated, snapping back up to look between them, and to the spiney back of someone sitting so distant. He couldn't help still to fixate on it briefly, such a bizarre view.. "I have to.."

They shared a grin, both of the girls. A small one and a more crooked one, even so, it kind of made him happy to not be glared at. He got enough of that everyday.

"Good! Now, don't forget these warnings! If you hurt him, or his rehabilitation, you'll face not only the punishments of a shattered fate, but our wrath as well!"

"Yeah, yeah.." He huffed, getting back to his feet again, still unused to the jumpsuit that he was put into, and stumbling on himself briefly.

"Now, go!"

He quirked a brow. "Where?"

"Don't give sass to us. The bed, return to your sleep."

Oh fuck, was he dreaming or something? What a bizarre, weird dream..

He, eagar at the idea of getting the hell out of here, climbed over to the hard board once more to lay his back down on it.

Laying so flat hurt his neck and lower back, his spine wasn't happy to be stretched back to being straight like so.

Speaking of things that weren't as straight as they once were, Ryuji shit his eyes tight, and fell asleep to a small rattle of chains whenever he moved his hands even the slightest bit, or feet.

"If you forget one single thing we've told you here, it'll be your line of fate, inmate. Don't forget."

Someone followed him with, one of the girls. The voice echoed in his ears.

The other joined in, and he heaved an uncharacteristically quiet sigh as the words haunted him.

"Don't make us have to meet you again.."

"I.. won't." He murmured, a slip past his lips he hadn't even noticed he let out, until his breath was deep, sleepy huffs, and he was gone again.


	11. Chapter 11 - Good Waking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, a warning. Yeah, that's right. That's what he was sent there for."

Oh shit.    
  
Oh shit. Oh shit. Ohh shit.    
  
Ryuji bolted awake, quite literally throwing himself up in the bed like he'd been punched awake. And if he took the time to think about it, he totally was punched awake.    
  
His eyes adjusted way too slowly, as he brought the backs of his hands to harshly rub them, pushing at the sleepiness in them like he could actively assault them and force them into being better.   
  
His surroundings, where was he? He blinked a couple times, rubbed some more crustiness out of his eyes, and looked around.   
  
It looked like the same attic he'd fallen asleep in. He took a glance to his side.   
  
And there he was.    
  
There he was, with his black hair, ruffled and messy and sinking into his face, like drops of a midnight colored ink. His white skin peeking out from underneath, and visible was his lips, parted slightly as he breathed, all of him still seemingly deep a sleep.    
  
Oh shit. All poetry aside, he was really cute.   
  
What the fuck happened while he was asleep?    
  
Little shrill voices and two angry, yellow eyes, paired with two intimidating eye patches, gave him a shudder.    
  
Never before had he had a dream so vivid before. He recalled their faces, their words, and felt the dirty ground on his hands.    
  
He felt the cold air, metallic scent seeping into his lungs, every single detail had been so crystal clear.    
  
Could dreams even be that vivid? Was that even a dream? It felt just as real as Kamoshida, just as much of a "this is all so totally fake" thing. Even if he knew it was totally real, totally happened, and was totally sending him a warning.    
  
Oh, a warning. Yeah, that's right. That's what he was sent there for.   
  
Brown eyes swept over Akira once more. His sleepy form, curled up in his comfy pajamas and under the comforter.    
  
God he was cute.    
  
Anyway.   
  
Ryuji ran over words that stuck to the insides of his head like shitty, old tape. Even the annoying voices were present, too, and their banging on the bars he had been stuck behind.   
  
With a shudder, he ran a sharply cold hand through his fluffy blonde hair, giving it a but of volume as he ruffled it all up.   
  
He hopped up from the bed, or was about to. Then to slowly, slooooowly slide off of it. He was watching Akira for any sign of discomfort, to which he had none. Finally taking time to press his bare feet onto the splintery wood below, he stood and stretched.   
  
He held his arms above his head, his shoulder popping with nice audio attached.    
  
Akira was still asleep. Still cute, still.. there, curled up in the comforter, his arms tucked under it as he laid on his side.   
  
Ryuji's mind journeyed back to that haunting dream, quite so. He frowned, as he looked over his total best friend-crush.   
  
He needed to do better, apparently, and get his shut together. For this situation, he wished they'd tell him (Maybe even nicely because niceness is actually nice to hear, opposed to the bullshit he got earlier,) how much he didn't have his shit together.    
  
He needed a gauge to measure just exactly how much his shit was it wasn't together.    
  
How scattered was it? How exactly large is the radius of which his bullshit was spread across and needed to be together again?    
  
Damn, he had no clue where to start.    
  
What could he do to be better? Obviously he wasn't the best, obviously, but.. Was he so bad he'd completely destroy himself and Akira?    
  
He shot the raven-haired one more glance, until running a hand through his blonde hair again, and turning back to look at the stairs, in the parallel corner of the room.   
  
Slowly, carefully, he eased out of the shared bed. He shot the other male a glance, but Akira was still sleeping safe and sound, unbothered.    
  
Ryuji smiled in satisfaction as he slipped out of the room, secondly, quick to assign himself a task that he could do while trying not to scream, panic or something else he felt he needed to do.   
  
What time was it? Aah, early morning. Perfect timing, he concluded, with a satisfactory smile.    
  
He trekked down those creaky stairs as hastily slow as he could, to the chilly downstairs. The café was desolate, which was much better for him. Emphasis on Boss not being here. Oh, that'd be uncomfortable to try to get something done with.   
  
Ryuji didn't bother turning on a light, he didn't want to leave too much of a visual that he was here if Boss did happen to show up. However, he did turn on his phone for some quiet music and a little bit more light, tucked away behind the counter at the corner, and taking a look at all of the supplies and things in stock, feeling proud.   
  
"If you forget one single thing we've told you here, it'll be your line of fate."    
  
He remembered, and perhaps even murmured under his breath to recall more accurately, as he got to work.    
  
Take this, creepy ass little girls, he'll show just exactly how good of a guy he could be.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji is back and so am I, both of us ready to do the best we can
> 
> but root for Ryuji this poor boy deserves it


	12. Chapter 12 - Sweet Mr. Sakamoto

The stairs creaked slowly, but surely. The sound likewise to crying for help underneath the weight of a person, loud as they always had been going up and coming from that rickety attic.

The scent of something nice was filling the air of the surpringly not gloomy downstairs café, to which Akira panicked a bit, thinking that he'd overslept and that it was already hours for the café to be open.

Ryuji's bright grin was that of angels, as he waved over to the black haired boy. He was wearing an apron, a beige one over his relitively colorful clothes, and it even had some flour on it. What had he done to get flour on him? What'd he even need that flour for at all?

"I made you a breakfast. It's healthy for the day. And, since you let me stay over and all, do you want to, like.. walk to school together?"

He spoke a million words a minute, and honestly, looked seconds away from a panic.

"I'd love to.. And thank you."

"Did you sleep well?"

Ryuji brushed a hand over the back of his neck, his eyes going somewhere else. "Yeahhh.." He dragged out. "So-so."

"Thank you for the breakfast. Did you have something, too?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I did. Don't worry."

He smiled some. And Ryuji's entire heart and soul smiled on response to such a precious little display of glee.

Akira and him were in a silence for a moment or so, but unlike so many other people, it wasn't too horribly uncomfortable.

Of course, it filled him a little with anticipation, and some other stuff, but nothing really bad. Just _being_ with Akira gave him those emotions, honestly, soo.. Silence was okay.

And besides, Akira got a good, healthy breakfast out of the deal, made by Ryuji! Now, that's pretty good boyfriend-ing.

Future boyfriend-ing, anyway.

Ryuji twiddled his thumbs around a mug of some good, cold milk. Because he was almost an adult, fuck coffee.

He took little sips on the white colored mug, one of the generic ones that Boss served people's coffee in.

Of course, all of these dishes he was going to be washing, he did not want to be a burden to the café at all. After all, he was trying to prove he absolutely couldn't and wouldn't be a burden- right?

His thoughts spilled onto his face into a gentle, fond smile. Not at Akira, not at anything, hidden safely behind the milky white glass of milky milk. Out of sight and mind, unless you're Ryuji, who's mind was clouded, but the kinds of clouds which gave birth to little rainbows, of just pure adoration for the man he stood so close to.

He had to be A+ boyfriend material. Akira, Boss, all of 'em, he needed to be good. Boss, because he needed to actually be allowed back here, and then Akira because.. Akira.

Speaking of Akira, the boy broke the relative silence, and shooshed Ryuji 's loud-as-hell mind.

He spoke, just bringing up a casual topic of conversation. "I had a dream yesterday."

Ryuji's posture rose like a tide, and his muses, a tidal wave of questions of _what_ such a dream could be in comparison to his own.

He stood on his roes behind his white mug far too long, before, like a normal person, he placed it down on the counter with an echoing clack.

The first of questions to be brought up was the one that he thought of first. "Yeah, what was it about?"

Akira poked at a piece of egg on his plate, and brought it onto his fork, until bringing it to his perfect lips.

And before he ate his little morsal, the perfect boy uttered the perfect answer to make Ryuji swoon, in the perfect way he _always_ did.

"You." 

His heart almost _stopped_. Before further questioning could be done, though, he heard a little bell. It echoed throughout the store just like everything did when it was so very empty.

The blonde turned to look to the door, and to see the door closing being Mr. Sakura.

The door opening let in a chully whisp of air like a ghost, comingto dance circles around the trying high school boy's spine, sending deep chills to his fingertips and toes.

Ryuji was biting his lip, feeling a little anxiety nipping at his throat. Oops, he hadn't gotten to cleaning yet.

"Mornin', you two. You're both up early." He said, taking off a sort of beige coat from his relitively narrow shoulders. His sharp nose and sunken cheeks had a small coat of pink layering his dull white skin. He had been exposed to the cold outside, was Ryuji's best thought.

Thank God for Akira, a magnificent angel who was comfortable with the adult male to the point of speaking first.

"Ryuji made breakfast." He informed, to which those striking eyes glanced to him.

But then he smiled, it was a gentle grin. He looked amused in his face, all the while Ryuji was plainly grim.

"I can clean all these up, Boss,"

The adult shook his head, as he folded that jacket of his over his arm. "No, no, don't worry. It's okay. I can take care of it. I'm glad you made Akira something, honestly. Thanks."

Ryuji took his few words he did have and stuck them away, feeling satisfaction and even a little bit of pride, if he was listing these right, pouring into his heart.

He gave a small bend at his midsection, a kind bow, giving him a quiet word of thanks, while Boss slipped his jacket onto the heavy-duty rack near the door.

"Don't worry about it." He repeated, such a nice sound.

He slid out of behind the counter, to make way for Boss to get back there and do the magic stuff he specialized in. He also out of his apron, to hang up hastily.

He plopped his busy feet in one place, and then back onto the booth-like seating behind him.

Akira sat across from him, and when the blonde turned to see the inky-haired boy again, their eyes locked instantly.

He was feeling so much less anxiety than this morning. Akira looked.. happy. And he wasn't even a burden to Boss, in his antics, too. The entire situation was so comfortable.

He was proud. Those twins, wherever they may be watching over him, he hoped they saw the contentment that being a good person brought in this situation.

If this was a situation to which he would have to do lots of things like this, for however lomg, he was absolutely ready.

And that was really just the least of it.


	13. Chapter 13 - Plan for Success

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What the fuck, you're trying to bring us two on a date so that you can help me?"

"The OG team should spend some time together!" She grinned, like a precious little smirk that managed to scare the living shit out of her male blonde counterpart.

" 'OG'?" He asked first, with his brow cocked, until shaking his head some. "What about Yusuke? And, like, who's even going to _pay_ for it?"

"Yusuke hasn't be answering my texts all day; so I counted him out." Ann shrugged, her weight shifting in an animated way to one foot as she placed her hand on her hip. "And, well, if we all chipped in and didn't go anywhere too expensive, it can't possibly be too much of an inconvenience."

"Yeah, but I'm broke. I'm not chipping in, unless you want my wallet lint."

She sighed. "Akira always has a ton of money, and I got paid on Thursday. Let's just go out, okay? It'll be nice."

"I mean, yeah, I want to, but where is this coming from? I thought we were going to study, or somethin'."

"Okay, but look at it this way-"

"Oh no." He immediately recoiled from the phrase, his hands behind his head in a kiddish stance, far too lax.

"You'd get time to hang out with Akira, I know you were, like, dying about that. And I'll help you, if you want, so you're not an anxious disaster."

"What the fuck, you're trying to bring us two on a date so that you can _help_ me?"

She crossed her arms, and nodded. "You can't say you don't obviously need help."

"Excuse you, I am _fine_. I am the best when it comes to romance, especially with Akira, he's my best bud, which makes it so much easier."

She just stood in silence for a second or two, her gaze and lack of response piercing through his flimsy statement like a gun shooting through it, bang bang.

He frowned to the edges of his chin, his hands slapping back down to his sides with upset. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Damn it."

Ann smiled some, and came over to sit down on the bed next to him, with a plop as the weight shifted in the old mattress.

"Sweet, so, we're going?" She enthusiastically hummed, taking out her phone to unlock, her ever changing lock screen photo having been a picture of Shiho and her for a good month or so. That's the longest he has ever seen her keep the same background, honestly thinking about it. He'd mention that later, it was sweet.

He crooned a little "Ya," In response, which was good enough for her to pull up her texting app and Akira's conversation.

Ryuji felt a little grin eating at his face before he even knew it, finding a little bit of anxious joy gnawing at his heart.

"So, where are we even going to go?" She stopped mid sentence, the tapping of her nicely painted nails against the glass screen coming to a halt. How girls with their fancy nails managed to type so fast on those phone keyboards would always confuse him.

"Mm?" He asked, his words in his facial expression, a brow arched like he was curious, merely too lazy to say it. "Uhhhhhhh."

"Well, that's helpful." She scoffed, tapping her home button and going to search the internet, without a doubt. Cheap but also classy, right?"

"There's the café, right?" He offered, with a shrug, not really liking his own idea.

"Won't we be there just to study, though, like everytime before?"

"Hey, studying is a good date."

"Keep your math away from your romance, first and foremost. Don't turn all your dates into those tutoring sessions from Mean Girls."

"Pfffbt," He snorted, "Yeah, okay.. An actual date. Not there, then.."

"Let's focus on the food, what places are even edible?"

"Ohhhhh, shit, let's go to the Ogikubo, that place is the _best_! And he loves it there, we go there all the time together."

"But if you two go there all the time, are you sure he wants to go there again?"

"Yeah. Well.. maybe. ..You're right. Damn it." He huffed, recalling the last time they'd been there, which couldn't have been more than a week ago.

Flashbacks in his head to fawning over Akira and when his glasses got all steamed up when he tried to eat his own bowl of hot ramen brought a pinkish tint to his cheeks. God he was cute. Also, ramen was fucking great, fact.

Ryuji offered another, "We could always do that sushi place."

"What the hell, _no_. Not only will Morgana want to come too, but I'm not made of money, here!"

"Awee. C'mon Ann, be a team player." She hissed in response, and he sneered with teasing laughter.

"Mm, how about.." Her eyes lit up, her fingers snapping and pointing into the air, a weird sequence of actions that Ryuji wasn't quite sure how to feel about.

"Let's make something!"

"Nope,"

"C'mon! It'd be so meaningful! We should! Plus, we should absolutely make his favorite food, too! What is it, anyway?"

"I.." Ryuji frowned, deeper than he had already, eyebrow quirked. Did he.. not know this? After so long with Akira, so long of crushing the literal hell out of the guy? "Uh."

Oh no, there was something he _didn't_ know about Akira? He was such a bad boyfriend!

"How do you not know? Don't you two, like.. live and breathe next to each other after school?"

"What the fuck, I wish."

She had an expression, a sort of smirk, that brought him some concern over confidence, once more. But.. she seemingly had confidence enough for the two of them, so.. he didn't have much of a choice to her next question.

"Okay! So, we'll make him something, okay? It'll be great! He'll really feel your good boyfriend material side, too."

"You get his favorite food, and I'm going to work on getting the place where we do it, okay?" She grinned, and he gulped.

"Yeah. I'll.. try."

"Okay, good!"

And with that, Ryuji began the quest for vital boyfriend knowledge: the favorite food- an adventure for the history books to take note.

Or, maybe he'll just mess this up horribly and his cheesy secret will be out without a chance to have happened in the first place.

They'll just have to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE ARE POSTING AGAIN
> 
> sorry, I've literally had this one written up, just.. didn't get to posting for a while i guess. rip
> 
> anyhow, TTKNB is back in full force, and soon we are getting to the good chapters, i promise,,


	14. Chapter 14 - Concerning Invitations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Poor Akira, who knew nothing of his friend's deep, deep crush. At this point it seemed a bit like a weird teasing."

"Heyyy, Akira. Yo." Yelled Ryuji, from the entrance. He wore a smile- when didn't he, around this flower shop? In all fairness, he wouldn't be at this flower shop if it wasn't for that one guy.   
  
In the back of the shop, the only worker there, was the man in question. Crouched down, his hands in a potted plant, damn he looked nice.    
  
The fact that his glasses were crooked and there was dirt on his face only made it better. God damn. What would Ryuji not do, just to run over and give him a big gay kiss? This was getting to be too much.   
  
"Came to visit?" Akira raised an eyebrow    
  
"I'd never miss a chance to come see lil' flower boy."    
  
Akira smiled. He smiled, and it was so nice. He clapped his hands together, a small cloud of dirt and dust welled up around the scene of his hands, from flowers he'd been potting and fertilizer he'd been moving. He certainly did get dirty on this job.    
  
Not even the cool type of dirty, either, just literally covered in literal dirt.    
  
Understandably, not the kind of dirty Ryuji was especially excited to see Akira being.   
  
God damn it this crush was out of hand.   
  
"Hey, so, yo, I actually came here to give you somethin'." Ryuji grit his teeth after talking, ready to throw some hands at his conscious before this day was done. He already felt his ears heating up red as he tried to shut up his thirsty internal dialogue.   
  
The raven-haired boy raised a brow, and the blonde already felt that damn anxiety nipping at his soul like an ankle-biter from hell.    
  
"Here, lemme get it." Ryuji shook in his place, a bit.    
  
"It's just for you, okay? Don't show anyone, or tell anyone." He grinned toothily up to Akira. The flower boy in question, who seemed amused, at least.    
  
Ryuji continued on in a whisper, "You know how this stuff goes, leader."    
  
Taking a slip of paper out of his own jeans pocket, Ryuji didn't look at it as he slipped it into the front pocket of Akira's apron.    
  
"You will keep an eye on it, Akira, will you?" Asked the blonde nerd.    
  
The other nodded, and chuckled mildly. "Two eyes, as often as I can spare them.   
  
"Fucl yeah, then we good."    
  
"Can I look at it?" He asked.    
  
Ryuji shook his head immediately. 'No way. Top secret shit, homie. Keep it secret, keep it safe."   
  
"Alright. I'll keep it. My precious."    
  
" 'Precious'?" Ryuji fake gaped, fully enjoying himself in the these quotes. "It's been called that before, but not by you."    
  
Akira looked so damn cheeky, it made Ryuji wanna cry. Maybe not cry, but at least make really weird crying-screaming noises.   
  
"I meant you, as precious."    
  
"Wha- dude," Ryuji gaped. God damn god damn god damn god damn, "I-I thought we were quoting Lord of the Rings still,"    
  
The taller shrugged, and gazed across and to the blonde with eyes of a bright and happy expression.   
  
"So, when can I look at it, precious?"    
  
"Uhhh." His mind was dead after a nickname like that, and the hazel-eyed boy brushed his hand through the blonde hair on the back of his head anxiously as he attempted to compose himself. His face was absolutely red, and he felt that same warmth all the way to the tips of his ears.    
  
"Maybe.. after your shift? I don't know. When you're home? It doesn't actually matter all that much that it's secret, I was just playing up the hype."    
  
Akira chortled, and the blonde felt a nervous, bashful grin take over his lips. It was obviously a ridiculous expression, but he couldn't really help it. It was either this grin or an equally nervous laugh.    
  
"Yeah, just.. check it out. And you better be there, yeah?"    
  
"Ooh, so it's an invite?" Akira tilted his head in interest, his hand twitching to reach into his pocket and just look at the damn thing.    
  
Ryuji hushed him, making the shhhhh! noise, as well as putting a finger to his friend's lips. "You don't know that."    
  
"Yup. Whatever you say, Ryuji, I don't know a thing."    
  
"Alright, atta guy."    
  
"So, how long are you staying, precious?"    
  
Ryuji heaved a harsh sigh, and his eyes widened as he tried to keep his smile from getting weirdly big.   
  
A small part of him, the child of denial and insecurity, wanted to throw up an aggressive why are you calling me that?, because his heart skipped beats whenever he heard it.    
  
"Gooood damn it, man, I swear that you're really tryin'a to kill me."   
  
Poor Akira, who knew nothing of his friend's deep, deep crush. At this point it seemed a bit like a weird teasing.   
  
Poor Ryuji even more so.    
  
"I was plannin’ on staying until you got off of your shift. Then, we can head off together."     
  
"But don't we have to take different routes home?" It was true. They did, indeed. But small, trivial things like that, they didn't matter if it meant a few extra minutes where Ryuji was walkin' by his future boyfriend.   
  
Maybe future boyfriend was a little much, eh.. he sure was hopeful, though.    
  
"I mean, yeah, but.. why's that matter?"    
  
"If you're okay with waiting." Akira offered, soothing some of Ryuji's nerves like some sort of magic.    
  
"Yeah, yeah, that's fine with me! So, then we just walk out together?"    
  
"Sounds like it." The leader answered, and smirked some. It was a face thar Ryuji wouldn't have been comfortable around, if it wasn't what Akira always wore in the Metaverse behind that mask. "Need me to carry you again?" He teased, and made the blonde boy huff.    
  
"That was an emergency. I sure hope you don't have to, because that implies that I get my damn toe smashed in again. Not cool."    
  
"Alright, alright."    
  
Ryuji pursed his lips momentarily, and shoved his hands into his side pockets. "So, I'll see you after your shift, right?"    
  
The other nodded. "See you then, precious."    
  
And the blonde turned, dragging himself away from his little flower boy, and silently screaming his entire being away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i guess the last chapter said it posted June of 2017? i think not
> 
> i got it fixed though ^^
> 
> Ryuji/Akira is back,,


	15. Chapter 15 - Give Love (He'll Give it Back)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The raven-haired was so quiet. He was usually quiet, but.. this was very quiet. And to Ryuji? He usually wasn't quiet to Ryuji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE/EDIT: 3/31/2018 , the fic's rating has changed officially. I hope that doesn't ruin anyone's day or negatively impact anyone. But I've decided, yes, that's the route this story is going.. oof
> 
> good boyfriends deserve their private time

Alright, time to prove himself.

"Hey, dude, what's up?" Ryuji grinned, his usual way.

He'd been waiting in front of the shop, or at least a ways away- he had taken time to investigate, to wait for his friend to get off work. After all, Ryuji wasn't usually down here too much.

After finding the _Problem_ _Child_ banner and taking a couple selfies right next to it, he assumed Akira was just about good, and skipped on back over to the flower store.

And he was right. He walked back and peeker his blonde head into the side of the store, to find Akira talking with his boss, and hanging up his apron for the day. It never failed to amuse the rebellious student that his friend was allowed to go to work an optional amount.

So, Akira and him headed on out together.

At first, he thought maybe the noise was an issue. The loudness of the station sometimes gave Ryuji headaches, after all. Maybe that was the issue..?

He was quick to race ahead of the both of them, just as he saw a form get up and off of the small bench. He threw his backside onto it and patted the other seat, beckoning Akira, who watched on with some sort of interest.  
  
The bench fit just the two of them, and considering how difficult it usually was to find a spot - perhaps this was a piece of good fortune that they deserved, for today. Score.

The inevitable sounds of people chattering, and the screeching of the train against the tracks, they were all noises that couldn't be avoided here. It made Ryuji a bit anxious.

The raven-haired was so quiet. He was usually quiet, but.. this was _very_ quiet. And to Ryuji? He usually wasn't quiet to Ryuji.

He took a look at his friend, his leg bouncing against the ground, very faintly shaking the deferential bench underneath them.  
  
Akira didn't look at him, didn't speak..

Did something happen? Or something come up..? His entire mind was a trap of every single worry under the sun, at this time.

Soon, the train came screeching to a halt, and he watched with wide hazel eyes as it stopped in front of him.

Maybe getting Akira on the way home immediately was the best course of action..

Ryuji stood up, and the leader followed suit, even if less hasty. After a moment of standing beside the raven-haired, he jumped into action, squeezing himself through a pair of shoulders and onto the subway.

He found himself a seat just like before, and kicked a leg up, saving it for his friend, who didn't wait to come in just behind him. Ryuji patted the spot, and the leader took it with a slight quirk of his lip. A smile? A laugh? A pitiful show of mercy on the blonde?? He was so unsure.

People were all over, soon, but they did have somewhere to sit today. That was good, right?

Right?

He needed to help his friend. Desperately.

Ryuji looked back to the other, watching him quite closely.

Akira looked into the reflection he created in the dirtied subway window, the dirty photo of himself. The action, and watching it happen, took Ryuji by surprise a little. He looked.. brooding.

Ryuji, feeling pressure which ate away at his heart, couldn't stop himself any longer from speaking up.

"Hey.." He leaned in a bit more, his bare shoulder brushing against Akira's sleeved one.

The teen turned to glance at his blonde friend, their eye contact was exact and powerful to them both. It it the passive willpower in Akira's, or the twinkle of power in Ryuji's.

Looking to the taller boy, he offered a smile. A more meaningful one- a more gentle one. He knew how to smile pretty damn well, and applauded himself on that, when it really mattered.

"It'll be alright." He treaded, and noticed something in the taller boy's expression. It seemed to connect.. which made him much more glad. He felt like he had a chance- an opportunity. "I promise."

His voice, he wasn't even sure if it came out of his throat, or if he just happened to open his mouth and pretend to say such words.

The leader looked somewhere in front of him, somewhere else. Ryuji watched him with the care and love in his face, evident as he couldn't outright say any of it. Not just yet.

Soon, his own hazel gaze shifted, too. Off to the distance, to the legs and feet all around them, whatever it changed to.

Within a second, he felt a heavier weight on his shoulder. He knew what was happening, yes, and it made his heart compress in his chest.

Akira's hand, as cold as clay against the blonde's warmer one. His slender fingers, just a bit longer than Ryuji's own, and his skin, evidently a bit more pale in comparison.

He held on tight, squeezing around the other's palm, his heart racing due to a great many emotions. Of the many, worry, for his dear friend. And then the evident feeling of love. No matter how damn hard he tried.. love, always there.

Because it was just admiration, a wish for affection, complete and total awe, when he looked at this raven-haired teen. And they manifested to a better emotion.

Akira returned the action silently, squeezing Ryuji's hand just as tight, and pressing his fingers together. It was such a pleasing action, to feel his hand held like so.

There were a million things to say, a million things to admit or to do.. and they all would happen soon. For right now, he brushed his index over Akira's wrist. He didn't do it consciously - it just happened.

He felt a faint beating, and a quick one, too. He opened his eyes and glanced back to the man on his shoulder, as he pressed his finger to the soft skin of Akira's wrist, where he felt the bespoken heartbeat.

Akira's heart was racing just as fast as his own.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope to update weekly or bi weekly, but life works in weird ways so I may be late or early- eh hope thats okay!! 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who is reading!! Hopefully I can meet lots of Ryuji/Akira fans
> 
> also rating may or may not change


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